As part of its 2022 Action Plan for Combating Violence Against Women, Türkiye's Family and Social Services Ministry will open new Violence Prevention and Monitoring Centers (ŞÖNİM) across the country.
They will join existing centers in major Turkish cities, including Adana, Antalya, Bursa, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya and Şanlıurfa.
The ŞÖNİMs provide support and monitoring services for the prevention of violence and the effective implementation of protective and preventive measures.
These centers implement a one-stop model to operate 24/7, providing effective and fast service that is worthy of human dignity.
Currently, they are present across Türkiye's all 81 provinces with the aim of empowering women economically, psychologically, legally and socially.
The "2022 Action Plan to Combat Violence Against Women" is part of the 4th National Action Plan to Combat Violence Against Women, adopted on July 1, 2021.
It will be jointly implemented and monitored by the Interior, Justice, National Education and Health ministries as well as the Directorate of Religious Affairs, under the coordination of the Family and Social Services Ministry.
"The number and capacity of ŞÖNİM will be increased," the ministry said in an activity plan, while adding that it will also increase the number of personnel working in the existing facilities.
They have begun studies on opening more than one ŞÖNİM in the provinces with dense populations and a second ŞÖNİM in eight provinces.
The first of the second ŞÖNİMs have already opened in Mersin. In line with the goal of increasing their number and capacity, a second center will consider several points, like population density, the number of service recipients from a center, the number of protective and preventive measures given under law No. 6284, the number of Domestic and Violence Against Women Records and Risk Assessment Forms used by law enforcement units.
Within the scope of the study, the first of the second ŞÖNİMs was opened in Mersin.
It was then decided to open second ŞÖNİMs in Adana, Antalya, Bursa, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya and Şanlıurfa.
Social workers, psychologists, child development specialists, sociologists and psychologists and guidance counseling department work at ŞÖNİMs to provide effective service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition, police, nurses, lawyers and educators from the relevant public institutions and organizations providing services in the field of combating violence against women also provide service at ŞÖNİMs.